Venezuela: Two teenagers jailed for murder of ex-Miss Venezuela

Monica Spear and her ex-husband Thomas Berry were killed in cold blood during a failed robbery attempt.Facebook

Two teenagers have been jailed for killing a former Miss Venezuela and her British ex-husband.

The boys, aged 15 and 17, were each sentenced to four years for their parts in the deaths of Monica Spear and Thomas Henry Berry.

Ms Spear, 29, and Mr Berry, 39, were on holiday in Venezuela when they were attacked after being stranded on the highway between Puerto Cabello and Valencia on 6 January 2014.

A tyre on the victim's car had been deliberately punctured after it ran over something on the road, placed by robbers to stop traffic.

While they waited for a repair truck, they were surrounded by armed robbers who fired a volley of bullets through the windows. They were shot dead in front of their five-year-old daughter Maya, who was in the car. She miraculously survived the assault, suffering a minor wound to her leg.

It was one of a spate of violent robberies in the region, where "booby traps" are left in the road to obstruct cars, forcing them to stop, allowing raiders to attack and rob the occupants.

Relatives carry the coffin of former Miss Venezuela Monica Spear and that of her ex-husband Thomas Henry Berry (not pictured) during their funeral in CaracasReuters

Ms Spear became Miss Venezuela in 2004 and had until her death been living in the United States, where she had forged an acting career.

She had been on holiday with Mr Berry, who is thought to have been London-based and ran a travel company. The former couple were divorced, but continued to holiday together with their daughter. Friends were hopeful that their latest trip may have lead to a reunion.

Their daughter was expected to be taken to the US to live with her maternal grandparents in Orlando, Florida.

The tragedy prompted well-known figures, including actors and writers, to march on the streets of the capital Caracas, to demand the government do more to protect its citizens.

Venezuela has the highest murder rates in the world. The Venezuelan Violence Observatory reported 45,000 murders in the country last year, where more than nine in 10 murders remain unsolved.